


Daddy Cool (In The Summertime, When Weather Is High Remix)

by JackyJango



Series: Remixes [11]
Category: X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies), X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Charles Xavier has a Ph.D in Adorable, Domestic Fluff, Erik Logic Is The Best Logic, Erik is a Sweetheart, Established Relationship, Everyone Is Alive, M/M, Mansion Fic, dadneto
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-15
Updated: 2018-07-15
Packaged: 2019-06-05 19:56:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15178172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JackyJango/pseuds/JackyJango
Summary: Erik inspires a brand of fear in people that Charles has never been able to wield-- a combination of awe and terror-- the kind that comes from watching a Tiger prowl in the jungle. Charles doesn’t know whether it’s Erik’s cold, commanding demeanour, or his ability to pull a submarine out of the churning Atlantic that has others withering under his stare. Even their oldest children are not immune to Erik’s looming presence or the sharpness of his grey-eyed glare. Hank and Sean stammer while speaking with Erik, and Alex, who is outwardly austere, idolises the Metalbender. They all respect him in their own ways; of that, Charles is sure. The younger ones are a different story altogether. They’re scared of, what they dub as, Erik’s ‘Shark Grin’. It’s oddly entertaining to see them run away when he smiles, leaving a dumbfounded Erik in their wake.It's also strangely what makes their mentoring-- or what Charles likes to think secretly as parenting-- work.Or the 5 times Charles and Erik were good parents and 1 time they weren't.





	Daddy Cool (In The Summertime, When Weather Is High Remix)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [princess_fluffle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/princess_fluffle/gifts).
  * Translation into 中文 available: [酷爸爸 | Daddy Cool](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16514510) by [Amaranth42](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amaranth42/pseuds/Amaranth42)
  * Inspired by [In the Summertime, when weather is high](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7445284) by [princess_fluffle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/princess_fluffle/pseuds/princess_fluffle). 



> Trust me to take princess_fluffle's lovely smut and turn it into fluff.
> 
> This is an AU where the beach divorce doesn't happen and nobody dies.  
> Charles and Erik run a school full of X-Children! :D
> 
> I hope you you enjoy it!

         Erik inspires a brand of fear in people that Charles has never been able to wield\-- a combination of awe and terror\-- the kind that comes from watching a Tiger prowl in the jungle. Charles doesn’t know whether it’s Erik’s cold, commanding demeanour, or his ability to pull a submarine out of the churning Atlantic that has others withering under his stare. Even their oldest children-- Charles should probably stop calling them _children_ since some of them are on the threshold of adulthood, but they’ll always remain as  children to him\-- are not immune to Erik’s looming presence or the sharpness of his grey-eyed glare. Hank and Sean stammer while speaking with Erik, and Alex, who is outwardly austere, idolises the Metalbender. They all respect him in their own ways; of that, Charles is sure. The younger ones are a different story altogether. They’re scared of, what they dub as, Erik’s ‘Shark Grin’. It’s oddly entertaining to see them run away when he smiles, leaving a dumbfounded Erik in their wake. 

It's also strangely what makes their mentoring \-- or what  Charles likes to think secretly as parenting \-- work. 

Erik is a disciplinarian. He's a taskmaster ( _Ring Master_ in Raven’s terms); and a one who is heard to please. He doesn't let the children get away with their chores while  Charles gives them lenience in that department. Erik isn't easy on them with their physical training where Charles succumbs to their pleas. ‘You're too soft, Prof,’ Alex tells him. Raven tells him that he's easy. Charles is strict when he has to be, so he supposes it strikes a good balance. 

When the kids are left alone ( even the oldest  ones ), they'll indulge in vandalism on a large scale. Later when they're caught, each one of them will swear on every God on the planet that they weren't the  ones to start it. Once  Charles and  Erik had come home to find the kitchen in tatters and his Grandmother's antique China collection shattered on the ground.  Even poor Hank gets pulled into their antics. Succinctly, there's a high risk of the Mansion falling apart without the either  Charles or  Erik babysitting them.

That's the reason Charles decides to go alone when Moira calls him requesting his presence at the CIA's mutant base. Erik isn't happy about having to spend the evening looking after what he calls _'brats’_ , but he acquiesces after some grumbling. 

‘I'll be home soon,’  Charles kisses  Erik and leaves. But by the time he returns,  it's way past everyone's bedtime.  Erik is the only one who is awake.

'Sorry, I'm late. I hope the kids weren't too troublesome,’ Charles says, kissing Erik's lips. 

Erik's breath smells of a  mix of scotch and beer, and his  mind feels pleasantly drowsy.  It's unlike  Erik to drink without company. Perhaps dealing with a bunch of teenagers really got to him.

Erik hums with a smile and slurs something about  missing him. The  mix of exhaustion and  Erik's drowsiness spilling into Charles’  mind puts him into a deep sleep in  Erik's arms. All his other thoughts become background noise.

The oldest mutants are  missing during the next day's breakfast. They begin filing into the dining room when the last of the plates are being cleared out. Sean’s  eyes are so puffy that his eyeballs aren't visible. Angel’s and Alex’s  eyes are shot blood red. Raven and Hank are in their natural blue form, and  even from the head of the table  Charles can see that Raven's  eyes are a fierce gold. Armando is the only one who's composed out of the lot. But  even he's throwing nervous glances in  Charles ’ and Erik's direction. The Mentalbender himself is sipping on  his coffee like it's  the most important thing in the world . But that's how Erik always drinks  his coffee-- like it’s  the most important thing in the world .

All their minds are closed off to Charles. Almost like they're making a desperate effort to shield their thoughts. But Charles doesn't need his telepathy to understand that they're all hungover. 

Charles doesn't encourage underage drinking. They're all growing children with growing minds, and alcohol has a funny way of shunning or altering brain growth. It's one of the things he's very particular about.

Charles decides not to confront them about it. He knows he's only going to be lied to. So he chooses to let go of it for now. He's learnt to pick his battles wisely.

Though it leaves him guessing as to how the kids got to  the liquor cabinet-- that is completely off limits to them \-- without  Erik noticing. Then again, Raven  knows her way around the Mansion, and she can be extremely sneaky when she wants to.  It's not like  Erik let them raid  the liquor cabinet , did he?

*

One of the things Sharron did  right as a parent was instilling in  Charles the importance of eating  right . While she ate healthy to maintain her figure,  Charles won't deny that it benefitted him.  It's also the reason why  Charles hasn't gained tremendous wright around his midsection even after hours of sitting and teaching all day. 

Charles is very strict when it comes to what the children consume. Eating a balanced diet is very important. The children's growing bodies need greens and proteins, not chocolates and candies. But left to the kids (especially the youngest ones), they would snack and feast on chocolates and ice-creams 24/7. Charles is sure that it would constitute their breakfast, lunch and dinner. He has watched four buckets of ice-cream and three packs of candies disappear from the fridge in a single day. 

That's the reason only Erik and he shop groceries for the entire house. Their list includes mostly of vegetables, fruits, milk, multi-grain breads and a variety of meats. Charles is not heartless. He does include chocolates and fries food, but only scantly. Desserts in the mansion is something the kids earn for good behaviour and fried food is something that is allowed in the entertainment room over a game or a movie. Yet, Charles observes the strangest thing. 

He sees  wrappers of chocolate bars \-- the kind they don't buy because of its excessive sweetness-- strewn across the classroom floors. Some are wedged between the sofa cushions, and some are left on the lawn. The younger ones aren't clever enough to cover their tracks.

After picking five candy  wrappers and two empty Chee- tos covers,  Charles makes a mental note to speak with  Erik in the evening about the matter. 

Erik enters the bedroom that night exhausted and soaked in sweat. His eyes light up immediately as he spots Charles on the bed, and flops on to it, sighing heavily. He must have been working with Angel and Alex in the gym. Charles should probably tell Erik to shower first, but it's not like he doesn't like having a sweaty Erik in his bed. In fact, he's thoroughly aroused by the sight, and snuggles to Erik's side, resting his head in the hollow of his neck and shoulder and inhaling the strong musk there. 

Erik hums contentedly and draws  Charles further onto his  side . 

Playing with the drawstrings on  Erik's sweatshirt,  Charles asks , ‘Do you remember buying Chee- tos this week, Darling? You know,  I found two empty packets today. And which is that chocolate we generally buy?  I found -’  Erik suddenly tenses beneath him and gets up from the bed. 

'What happened, Erik? Is everything all right?’ Charles asks, confused. 

'Yes, yes. Everything's quite alright,’ Erik responds distractedly. 'I just need a shower. I'm stinking.’

'Oh.’ Charles smiles dirtily, and asks in a sultry voice, 'Can I join you?’ Just to emphasise his point, Charles projects an image of him kneeling on the bathroom floor sucking on Erik's cock.

Erik closes his eyes and clenches his fists. He mutters what sounds like a curse to himself. 'No, I'm good. I'll be back in no time. Go to bed. ’ With that  Erik presses his lips to  Charles ’ forehead and disappears into  the bathroom . 

Erik's never the one to reject sex. Never. It's very strange.

*

Charles had always wanted to take the children out on an educational  excursion . With the influx of number of younger mutants in the school this year, he finds it as the opportune moment. He chooses the 'American Museum of Natural History ’ as the perfect place for the said  excursion . 

The expanse of the Museum's grounds is such that they wouldn't cover it in a single day if they moved as a single unit. So Charles decides to split the children into two teams: one headed by him, and the other headed by Erik. He initially worries that Erik would resist to what he would call: _drag those brats around explaining pointless history_. But surprisingly,  Erik is onboard with the idea almost immediately.

The  names of all the inmates of the house \-- bar  Charles and Erik-- are put into a large  bowl .  Charles and Erik take turns picking  names out the  bowl in the living room while the rest watch anxiously as to whose  team they belong to. 

The kids are thinking so loudly that Charles can't help but hear their scattered thoughts. Little Scott-- bless him\-- wants to be on Charles’ team. So does Hank\-- he's already thinking of the relics he saw there as a child. Alex wants to be on Erik’s team, but that’s a given. And so does Angel.

Out of all their  thoughts , one catches  Charles ’  attention the most. It's Bobby's. For  he's very loudly and very desperately  thinking that he  wants to be on 'Daddy Cool's’  team .  Charles doesn't know what to make of it, but the boy's mind almost explodes with joy when his name gets picked up by  Erik .

Charles and his team decide to cover the east wing of the Museum first while Erik and his team venture into the west. Charles doesn't hear mentally from Erik or his team for the rest of the morning. They unite at the entrance before heading for lunch. Erik and his team are already waiting when Charles gets there. 

Post- lunch , they switch wings.  Charles tries  to mentally connect to  Erik to  enquire if the kids are being troublesome , but  the children keep him occupied with questions. Charles knows Erik’s mind so intimately that he can spot it immediately amidst a sea of people, but becomes a little tiring to spot  Erik in a sea of inquisitive and accelerated minds. Maybe Erik is deliberately shielding his irritating from curbing Charles’ enthusiasm. Erik is thoughtful that way.

The next day Charles enquires the children on Erik's team of their learning. Save for the bare minimum, they don't know much. With Erik as their lead, there’s not much Charles could have expected. 

He makes a mental note to take  the children to the Museum another day.

*

Contrary to popular belief, Charles doesn't _hate_ motorbikes. In fact he loves it when he and  Erik go on long drives\-- mostly because it gives him a chance to hug Erik and feel the roar of the engine in Erik's mind. It helps that Erik can control the vehicle without touching it, reducing the risk of accidents to a minimum. 

But not all can control metal. Especially not his students. Erik's bike in the hands of his children is nothing short of a death machine. That's the reason he had barred all students who aren't of of driving age or who aren't tall enough to touch the ground from the top of the bike from riding it. 

He's coming down for his evening tea when, through the  tall window lining the stairs, he sees a fourteen-year-old  Ororo doing just that. 

To his surprise,  Erik-- who is well aware of  Charles ’ rule regarding the damned vehicle \-- is instructing  Ororo out of the garage. The others are scattered around the entrance and cheering a focused  Ororo . 

'Shh,’ Erik warns them, ‘Your Professor will hear us.’ 

Everyone goes quiet after that. 

Charles doesn't stay long enough to see what happens  next . But the  next day, there's a white gauge covering Ororo’s left elbow. He didn't  ask her what happened, he already knows the cause. Kissing her head, he wishes her speedy recovery.

Charles doesn't ask Erik about the incident and Erik doesn't tell.

*

Charles is reading  ‘ _ Lord of the Rings _ ' to Kitty and Scott one evening before bed (A set of first edition copies of the books passed from his grandmother). 

> _ There was a long silence. At last Frodo spoke with hesitation. ‘I believed that you were a friend before the letter came,’ he said, ‘or at least I wished to. You have frightened me several times tonight, but never in the way that servants of the Enemy would, or so I imagine. I think one of his spies would—well, seem fairer  _ _ and feel _ _ fouler, if you understand.’ _ _  
>  _ _ ‘I see,’ laughed  _ _ Strider _ _. ‘I look foul  _ _ and feel _ _ fair.’ Is that it? _

Scott, who's glued to his right, interjects, ‘Is the Strider a bad man, Professor?’

Charles debates on how best he can answer the question, and replies, ‘No, Darling. The Hobbits doubt that he's  a bad man due to his appearances. Even  though he looks terrifying, he has a gentle heart.’

‘You mean  like , Mr.  Erik ?’ Kitty beams from  Charles ’ left. 

Charles is a little confused with her enthusiasm. The girl had run away from Erik's presence  just a week ago. Her comparison is apt  though . So he ruffles her hair and kisses the top of her head. ‘ Just like our  Erik .’

It's not that  Charles dislikes  pets . Quite on the contrary actually, he loves them. But with  pets come responsibilities \-- which is a foreign concept to six-year-olds. A pet is  just like a play thing to them \-- a living doll. 

He had  Erik bring an aquarium to the mansion and fill it with  fishes a few months ago. The kids had taken great care of it in the beginning and neglected it when it had  lost its lustre. Most of the  fishes were dead when  Charles decided  to get rid of it. 

That's the reason he prohibits Kitty and Scott from keeping the lost puppy they found in the lawn (It's still a mystery as to how a single puppy managed to get lost in their neck of Westchester). Charles instructs Hank to leave it in the pet friendly cafe in town that he knows will take in strays. 

The issue of the  puppy doesn't come  up  until two days later  when Erik gets up in an ungodly hour of the morning and whispers  Charles ’ name.  Charles is about to scold him to go back to sleep  when Erik slips quietly out of the bed. 

Perplexed by the odd behaviour, Charles follows Erik's mind out of the bedroom towards the shed beyond the lawn. Erik's not alone when he reaches there. There are Scott and Kitty escorted by a sleepy Alex. 

Charles latches to Alex's drowsy mind unobtrusively and watches as Erik and the children feed the lost puppy with warm milk. Upon Erik's instructions, the children build a basket of sorts with the blankets they had bought along with them.

'Alright, I have to leave now,’ Erik says, straightening. ‘You'll have to come back later in the day and feed it again and clean the basket. Ask one of the adults to bring you over. And…’ here he crouches to poke on both their noses, ‘don't forget to keep it a secret.’

Charles quickly detaches from Alex’s conscious. 

A lot of things make sense in  Charles ’ head now. They all align with Erik's behaviour \-- the liquor cabinet, the chocolates, the Museum. 

Charles decides to confront  Erik on the second morning  Erik slips out of bed. He drapes his robe around himself and waits in the dining room for  Erik to return. 

Erik slips in through the side door after twenty minutes and heads straight for their bedroom. 

'i don't appreciate being lied to, you know?’ Charles says from behind Erik.

Erik stops and tenses. He remains still for a moment and turns to face  Charles . ‘How much do  you know ?’

'Everything. ’

Erik nods slowly, taking  Charles ’ words in. ‘Are you mad?’

'Yes,’ Charles agrees. ‘But I'll listen to whatever you have to say.’ While being lied to by both his students and his boyfriend hurts, he's not going to steal Erik’s chance to explain himself. 

Erik wavers for a moment, his mind swaying in some sort of dilemma. Finally, he heaves out a big whoosh of air and slumps down on one of the chairs. The dim light of pre-dawn casts long shadows on his face. ‘You know how old I was when I first ate a chocolate? Twenty three. Hell, I wouldn't have even known what it looked like if it wasn't for that woman feeding her son in Switzerland.’

A heavy weight begins to descend the pit of  Charles ’ stomach. As it does when he speaks of his past,  Erik's thoughts begin to tinge yellow.  Charles knows where this is leading to. He slowly walks up to the Mentalbender, straddles  Erik's lap, and rubs his chest and shoulders, coaxing him to go on.

'My  father carved a wooden  dog for me. It was crude and looked nothing like a  dog , but it was my only friend for a long, long time. Until it was taken from me. ’ The mansion is deafeningly quiet in its sleepy haze. Only their breathing fills the large room until Erik starts to speak again. 'I  know that  I don't have any rights over them,  Charles . I'm not their guardian or their  father . Hell,  I don't even  know what  makes a good  father , but  I want these children to have everything I never had as a child.  I want to them to have a  _ childhood _ . Not regrets. And If that  makes me a  bad mentor, then so be it.’

Charles’ anger melts instantaneously-- like butter over a hot pan. While he isn’t happy with Erik’s actions, he doesn’t have it in him to fault Erik’s intentions. That’s just Erik, he supposes, a concentrated mixture of bad ideas and good intentions. _Looks fouler and feels fairer_.

Erik sighs heavily, ‘Listen, I’m sorry for lying to you,  Charles , but it wasn’t my intention to hurt you or defy you. Nor was it the children's. They were  just following my example. Were they here, they would have apologised as well. So please forgive us if possible.’

‘I have,’ Charles replies, stroking Erik's pointed cheekbones. It must be terrifying how much of himself he's willing to let go for Erik and the children, but it isn't. With his anger gone, Charles can't deny that Erik’s tenderness with Kitty and Scott in the shed does things to his heart. ‘Love,’ Charles says, 'Love and care. That's what you need to be a good father. And you have both of those in you. There's so much good in you, Erik. So much more than you’ll ever know. I had never doubted that you wouldn't be a good father. The kids love you. They admire and respect you.’ He chuckles. 'They even call you 'Daddy Cool’.’

Erik laughs throwing his head back, bright and sudden. 'Do they? ’ he  asks sheepishly. 'Well, I suppose that I am  _ cool _ .’

‘You're going to spoil them terribly, aren't you?’ Charles asks a tad too fondly. 

'Of course. I am,’ Erik replies, smugly.

The prospect of disciplining the children with  Erik ready to patronize their shenanigans should be dreadful; but it isn't. A warmth runs through  Charles at the image of an Erik softening to the pleas of a six-year-old. 

‘Who is going to show them the right path if you're going to back all their whims and fancies, hmm?’ Charles asks, touching the tip of his nose to Erik's in an eskimo kiss.

'You,’ Erik says out loud. Mentally, he says: _You'll always_ _show_ _us_ _the right path_ _._

_ Us! _

_Yes, that I will,_ Charles agrees, and presses their lips together. 

Charles is simultaneously sucking on  Erik's tongue and grinding on his crotch \-- their clothes are an undignified heap on the floor \-- when he hears gasps and groans, and senses a bunch of shocked minds in the entryway. Their oldest kids are standing wide eyed and gaping at them.  It's a horrified Sean who breaks the silence. ‘Oh my God… I didn't have to see my parents fucking.’

They  might have scarred their children for life.

In hindsight, Charles isn't the one to be blamed. He does warn Erik when the Mentalbender is busy sucking a mark on his neck ( _Darling,_ _it's_ _getting late._ _The kids_ _might_ _come down any moment_ ). But Erik distracts him by biting on a particularly sensitive spot ( _Stop worrying about the brats,_ _Charles_ _. They can go to hell for all I_ _care_ ).

*

**Epilogue**

'I knew you took the kids somewhere else from the Museum, but I never got to know where. Where did you take them to?’ Charles asks as he drapes his arm over Erik's chest that night. 

'I  took them to the Aquarium. They said they  wanted to see the sharks. ’

Charles bursts out laughing.

'What, Charles?’ Erik asks, amused.

‘They think you're  a shark . They probably  wanted to see you  side by  side a real one,’  Charles says when he recovers enough to speak. ‘And you fell right into their trap.’

'A _shark_? That's ridiculous. I look nothing like it, ’ Erik protests. 

Though Erik outwardly denies falling for the children’s tricks, Charles realises that Erik really doesn't mind the kids laughing at his expense. In fact, he eggs them on their ‘shark references’. He grins too broadly, baring all his teeth and chases a five-old-year old Jubilee around the living room shouting, ‘Run for your life. The Shark’s coming for you,’ much to the delight of a squealing Jubilee.

Later that week, Charles walks into a living room filled with all the children. 'We’re sorry for lying to you,’ they shout out asynchronously. The vestiges of anger over the incident drain away from Charles’ heart at their sincere apologies. His eyes water as he reads a card made and signed by all the children promising him to never lie. The card is crudely made, there's too much glitter and the ‘Professor’ on the front is spelt with a single 's’, but it's the best card Charles has ever received in his life. Erik eyes his from the corner of the room where he's casually leaning over a window frame and watching quietly. _You're a shitty telepath for not knowing all along, you know_ , he chides. 

_ Shut up _ .  Charles pinches him mentally and goes back to hugging Pietro. 

Their parenting still works with the altered dynamics.

The joy of seeing  Erik interact with kids never fades for  Charles . His entire body  heats when he sees  Erik cradling a sick  Illyana to his chest.

Erik nearly weeps when the children gift him a t-shirt for his birthday that says: ' Daddy Shark ’ . He wears it proudly and admires it every chance he gets with a huge grin on his face that exactly matches with the shark’s on  the t-shirt .

Charles can't deny that Erik looks incredibly hot in the t-shirt. He pushes Erik on the bed that night and whispers in his ears, 'Happy Birthday, Daddy. Relax and enjoy the ride.’

They get caught a second time by Raven while Charles is riding Erik in the utility room.

For Charles’ birthday the next month, their oldest children give him a t-shirt that says, 'Save A Horse Ride A Shark’.

*

Father's Day at the mansion is never a quiet affair again.

-

**Author's Note:**

> I'd love you hear what you thought.
> 
> Also, [JackyJango](https://jackyjango.tumblr.com) on Tumblr  
> Thank you for reading! :D


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